"It started like almost every piece, not knowing exactly where it would go," said Al-Hadid, a 1998 GlenOak High School graduate. "There wasn't really a single point of inspiration. I began with a few pedestals that I arranged on a grid, that would act as a sort of cityscape. For the first few figural elements, I asked my models to mimic some positions taken from Mannerist paintings. I mapped it out organically after that, taking one decision at a time."

A full-time artist based in Brooklyn, N.Y., Al-Hadid said, "I've always loved New York ever since our class trips with the art school. I moved there because it seemed like the best thing to do for my career, to be surrounded by other artists. It was more exciting than scary."

Growing up, Al-Hadid always was inclined artistically. "My high school teachers were very encouraging," she said. "But like most college kids, I got more focused and experimented with my work more when I was at Kent State."

Al-Hadid, who was born in Syria, earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from Kent State University in 2003 and a Master of Fine Arts in sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2005. She is represented by the Marianne Boesky Gallery in Manhattan. A solo exhibition was presented this year at the Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro, N.C., and will travel next to Savannah, Ga. In 2014, she will exhibit in Vienna, Austria.

Asked if her style is ever evolving, she said, "I don't think of my work as a style. But yes, my work is always developing, and it always shifts with current curiosities. It's always important to evolve."

To see more of her work, visit www.dianaalhadid.com.

BROADWAY BOUND

Another GlenOak High School graduate, Amanda Kloots-Larsen is in the cast of "Bullets Over Broadway," a new Broadway musical comedy scheduled to begin previews March 11 at the St. James Theatre in New York City. Based on the 1994 Woody Allen film, the show stars Zach Braff and is directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman.